If you're looking for Mother’s Day gift ideas that are less about gadgets and more about stellar product design, this is the collection for you. The tech quotient is low, but the design bar is high. The creators are artists, craftspeople and industrial designers – and their inspiration comes from science, technology, engineering and math.

In the school district of La Crosse, Vicki Lyons depends on mobile device management software from Jamf to manage the Wisconsin district’s fleet of iPads and MacBook Air devices. The Apple device management platform plays a key role in the district’s efforts to provide equitable access to technology to all of its students.

“We use Jamf Pro as our device management solution for our 1:1 iPad program district-wide. As a result, we are driving student success with iPads and meeting their individual needs via personalized learning — something we weren’t able to previously do,” says Lyons, technology service director for the School District of La Crosse.

Enterprises are adopting software-defined WAN to simplify branch office connectivity, improve application performance, and better manage WAN expenses, according to Gartner, which predicts that spending on SD-WAN products will rise from $129 million in 2016 to $1.24 billion in 2020.

“While WAN architectures and technologies tend to evolve at a very slow pace — perhaps a new generation every 10 to 15 years — the disruptions caused by the transformation to digital business models are driving adoption of SD-WAN at a pace that is unheard of in wide-area networking,” Gartner writes.

Two early adopters of SD-WAN shared some of the gains they’re realizing from the technology. The Bay Club Company and Autodesk are deploying SD-WAN technology from VeloCloud and CloudGenix, respectively, to transform the way they provision and support remote sites.

Every year we ask IT pros to share their favorite enterprise products, and every year we learn what it takes to win them over — including gear that saves time and money, bolsters security, and streamlines digital transformations. Read on to learn what 31 tech pros like best, in their own words.

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SecurityCloud ComputingData CenterCareersMobileWindowsIT Industry5 must-have security toolsMon, 17 Apr 2017 03:00:00 -0700Ann BednarzAnn BednarzNew York’s Montgomery County, located at the foot of the Adirondacks, consists of 10 towns, one city and 50,000 residents. To protect the data that pertains to its citizens and operations, Montgomery County added DatAdvantage from Varonis to its arsenal of security wares. The data security platform is designed to show organizations where sensitive data exists, who is accessing it, and how to keep it safe.

Coworkers can make or break a good job. For IT pros, it’s all about their peers, managers, and end users.

“I tossed out money as a contributor to happiness a long time ago,” said IT pro Michael Studte. “Although my salary, work hours, and vacation time are important to the equation, I’ve been the happiest in companies where management will listen and take my recommendations seriously, and where I’m able to build a good rapport with my users.”

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CareersIT LeadershipInfrastructure10 reasons to look for a new jobTue, 21 Mar 2017 07:57:00 -0700Ann BednarzAnn Bednarz
Sometimes it's obvious when it's time to move on from a job. Other times it's not so clear. If you're not sure if the time is right to search for a new job, here are 10 reasons to consider making a change.

Microsoft Teams is now live – and on by default – for Office 365 subscribers with Business Essentials, Business Premium and Enterprise plans.

Teams is Microsoft’s answer to Slack, with an emphasis on Office 365 integration. Teams is automatically tied to tools such as Outlook, SharePoint, OneNote and Skype for Business. With Skype tie-ins, for example, Teams users can move from text-based chatting to a voice or video call, directly within the Teams app.

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Cloud ComputingCollaborationOffice SoftwareHow to manage introverts and extrovertsWed, 08 Mar 2017 11:16:00 -0800Ann BednarzAnn Bednarz
The tech world can be a haven for people who enjoy solitary, focused work, and it often attracts people who gravitate toward the quiet end of the introvert-extrovert spectrum. For managers, the challenge is how to make the most of introverts’ and extroverts’ strengths. Team diversity can be a tremendous asset if companies are prepared to accommodate divergent work preferences.

Another approach is to create speaking roles in meetings, says Shobhna Upadhyaya, senior manager, business operations, at LinkedIn. “Given that introverts may not speak up in meetings on their own, carve out a role for them to participate in meetings, [for example] have them present a certain section if they are up for it.”

CIOs appear to be a relatively happy bunch, despite the pressures of the job.

Robert Half Technology surveyed 2,500 U.S. CIOs in 25 metropolitan areas. As a group, the tech leaders rated their overall job satisfaction at 8.5 in a 10-point scale. Respondents from 10 cities reported above-average happiness, with Miami hosting the most content IT chiefs.

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CareersIT LeadershipCIO RoleHow San Diego fights off 500,000 cyberattacks a dayMon, 13 Feb 2017 03:00:00 -0800Ann BednarzAnn Bednarz
Nearly 27 years of network and cybersecurity experience with the Department of Defense didn’t prepare Gary Hayslip for the collection of disparate technologies he encountered when he joined the city of San Diego.

“Software engineer” might sound like a sedentary role, but it doesn’t have to be. Janice Lan schedules walking meetings to break the sitting habit.

“Walking meetings are preferable for one-on-ones because it actually gives you a break from staring at a computer screen,” says Lan, a software engineer at Sift Science, which develops machine learning technology to detect fraud. “I walk with either a manager or a peer, usually when we talk about high-level things.”

A walking meeting is just what it sounds like: a meeting that takes place during a walk rather than in a conference room or office. People can hold walking meetings on sidewalks and park trails or inside shopping malls and convention centers if the setting isn’t too noisy.

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CareersInfrastructureIT Leadership4 reasons Microsoft Teams will kill Slack… and 4 reasons it won’tMon, 16 Jan 2017 05:00:00 -0800Ann BednarzAnn Bednarz
Microsoft Teams is nearing its official debut. Designed as a hub for teamwork, the cloud-based Teams gives employees access to content, tools, people and conversations within the Office 365 environment. Groups and subgroups can communicate and collaborate using text-based chat, file sharing, and video and voice chats.